Date: January 18, 2013Writer’s Name: Reginald A WardTitle:Reading is Power

In today’s world reading is very essential. Especially for the African American communities, we have come a long way and we have ways to go. In slavery times African-Americans weren’t allowed to attempt to pick up a book and learn. Not in today’s time; we have the right to read and won’t even attend school. Our ancestors had to fight for the very rights that we foolishly take for granted and don’t take advantage of in today’s era.How can you expect to go anywhere in life if you cannot even read? Why is it that children in today’s world don’t care about their education? I ask myself these types of questions all the time. The answer can be blamed on the parents. Once you instill the importance of an education into children from toddler to teenage years you will see a big difference. It is how you bring up a child, how you raise them that affects their future.

I was just having this exact conversation with this 15 yr. old boy from Chicago. He told me and his brother he didn’t like to read and didn’t want to read. I explained to him if you don’t want to read then you don’t want to go anywhere in life. Reading is so important; reading sets the standards for so many things in life. How can you possibly sign legal documentation, know your directions, count your money or know if you are getting cheated? If you do not pick up a book and read; knowledge is power.

Knowledge is power and reading unlocks so many doors. How can I succeed if I do not read? You have to want knowledge so bad you have to get to the point of reading just to build yourself up. I personally read to gain knowledge all the time. I want to know what information is out there that I have yet to find. There is so much knowledge out there that we haven’t even tapped into because we as a people refuse to read.

There is a need to read and a need to educate one’s self. I don’t care if you have your masters or doctoral degree, there is always going to be something that you haven’t read yet. That is why it is very important to continue to seek knowledge until you stop breathing. If knowledge is power then sad to say some people on this earth have no power, because they lack knowledge.

We must all continue to want to grow; we must all continue to read to improve ourselves. How can any of us expect to grow or go any further when we are not seeking to succeed in life by reading? Knowledge is power; power is what takes you higher. We should all be seeking to go further in life. Without reading, we basically just fail. Without trying to even better yourself we basically fail. Without reading it is impossible to go anywhere or do anything in life. No matter what, continue to seek knowledge; continue to read.